It promises to be the biggest night in Sacramento Republic FC’s history.

Next Wednesday, in front of a capacity crowd of more than 11,500 fans at Heart Health Park, the Indomitable club will welcome Sporting Kansas City in the Semifinals of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a chance to become the first lower-division team to reach the historic tournament’s final in more than a decade.

Add the backdrop of the current California State Fair, with its Ferris wheel illuminated in the night sky among the attractions, and the potential for something memorable will be present.

“It’s going to be a magical night in terms of the atmosphere in the stands and everything that’s going on there,” Republic FC President and General Manager Tood Dunivant said this week on the In Soccer We Trust Podcast hosted by former U.S. Men’s National Team players Jimmy Conrad, Heath Pearce and Charlie Davies.

Sacramento’s on-field run – making it the third USL Championship club to advance this far in the tournament since the league’s launch in 2011 – has embodied the magic of the cup as well. From the early-round success powered by Rodrigo Lopez, currently tied for the tournament lead with four goals, and standout performances by Luis Felipe Fernandes, whose game-winner against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park last month in the Quarterfinals marked the third consecutive game in which he'd notched the decisive finish, Sacramento has shown the quality it possesses.

As four-time Open Cup winner SKC arrives, Dunivant believes Republic FC’s squad is ready to deliver once again.

“Quite frankly on the field, that part is going to be fun,” he said. “It’s a challenge for our guys, they’ve stepped up to these challenges, and this is what you play for. You guys know when you have a chance to play against competition, you’ve either got to step up or step down, and our guys have stepped up every single time this year.”

Stepping up to the mark has been the theme for Republic FC in the past year. The club’s investment in its Academy system has continued to reap rewards, with the club transferring 2020 Championship Young Player of the Year finalist Hayden Sargis to Major League Soccer’s D.C. United this preseason while seeing 17-year-old signing Rafael Jauregui record his first professional goal in June.

The club also announced it will proceed with its stadium project at the Railyards, providing a world-class venue for its fans and players that will serve as an economic driver for Sacramento’s local economy. One of the USL Championship’s flagship clubs since its arrival in 2014, Republic FC’s plans for the second decade in its history will only continue to elevate the club’s profile, with owner Kevin Nagle leading the drive forward.

“Our owner Kevin Nagle stepped up in a big way, supports the club more than he ever has, invested even more in the team,” said Dunivant. “[He’s] doubling down on investing in the downtown stadium with or without MLS, people are taking notice, and good things are happening. Not just with this Open Cup run but with the support we’ve had in the stands, with the work this front office has done with sponsorships and everything. This is real-deal stuff, and it’s exciting.”

Wednesday night’s Open Cup Semifinal presents the opportunity for a historic moment for the club. A former winner of the tournament as a player in 2005 with the LA Galaxy who made almost 300 appearances across the MLS regular season and playoffs, Dunivant is aware of how difficult a run such as the one Republic FC has achieved so far can be for clubs at any level.  

“These opportunities just don’t come along that often,” he said. “In my career, I don’t know if I played in more than one or two Open Cup Semifinals because it’s hard to do.”

That could serve as maybe the biggest motivation to go one step further than the Richmond Kickers in 2011, or FC Cincinnati in 2017, the two prior Championship sides to earn the opportunity that now is now at hand to Republic FC’s squad.

“Once or twice a decade, you have a lower-division team make it to this stage of the Open Cup, and you’re two games from a championship, and two games from [Concacaf] Champions League,” said Dunivant. “There’s a chip on our shoulder. We’ve always had that as a city, the club has it, it’s the winning mentality that we talk about, you’ve got to go out and prove yourself every single day.

“That’s what our club is about. We call it being indomitable, and that’s something we try to live every single day.”